ATLANTA - Thousands of people will make their way to downtown Atlanta for the opening of Mercedes-Benz and the Atlanta Falcons preseason home opener on Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals. If you plan to be in the mix, knowing where to park, where to tailgate and where to travel will be essential.

Gates at Mercedes-Benz Stadium usually open two hours prior to the start of the event but that can change depending on the event.

Take a look at some helpful tips for parking, tailgating and transportation at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Fans can purchase parking through the Atlanta-based Park Mobile, using the Falcons, Atlanta United or Mercedes-Benz Stadium apps or parking.mercedesbenzstadium.com. Park Mobile offers 13,000 parking spaces, and fans can secure parking prior to events to save money from buying a parking space on the day of the event.

If you want directional assistance during game days or events, download and use Waze for turn-by-turn directions. Type the lot name into Waze, select the lot, then select “Go” to be navigated to the lot. In addition to this, all parking passes will have a direct link to the lot that you select.

Fans can tailgate before events in all flat parking lots. Tailgating is prohibited in the multi-level garages. When purchasing lots from parking.mercedesbenzstadium.com, make sure to look for the tailgating icon.

Vehicles can only occupy one space, and tailgating equipment (grills, chairs, coolers) cannot extend beyond the parking space or limit vehicles driving through the lot. Trash must be disposed of in the appropriate areas, and adjacent landscaped areas cannot be claimed exclusively. If planning to grill using coals, there are coal containers available on the lot to dispose of used coals.

The stadium will offer Marta pickup locations at the stadium. The stadium also has taxi stands available. The most reliable places to direct guests are the Upper Andrew Young International Boulevard, around Phillips Arena, GWCC main entrance or the Omni Hotel. Guests will exit Gate 2, Gate 3 or Gate 4 and walk across International Plaza to the taxi stands.

Channel 2 Action News will have complete coverage on Saturday for the first game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Stay with WSBTV.com for everything you need to know about the stadium as a brand new era kicks off. For more stories on the new stadium, visit our special Mercedes-Benz Stadium section.